Lucian opened his eyes to nothing. No ceiling. No infirmary. No voices. Just endless white stretching in every direction, flat and silent. He looked down at himself. Training clothes. No wounds. No blood. The ache in his chest was gone.
He stood.
The ground beneath him was solid but invisible. He couldn't feel it, but he didn't fall.
His system flickered in the corner of his vision.
LOCATION: UNKNOWN
SPIRITUAL DENSITY: OFF SCALE
RECOMMENDATION: AWAIT FURTHER CONTACT
He dismissed the text. It came back.
WARNING: EXTERNAL PRESENCE DETECTED
Lucian looked around. Nothing moved. The white was absolute.
Then a pressure arrived.
It didn't push him down. Didn't choke him. It just existed, and everything in the space seemed to lean toward it. Lucian's body went still. His heart didn't race. His breath didn't quicken. Something deeper recognized the weight.
A voice boomed through the emptiness. Not loud. Not quiet. Everywhere.
"Not yet."
Lucian's jaw tightened. "Not yet what?"
